Diana scoffed. “See. This is a waste of time.”
Mrs. Poulter shushed her.
“Oh, Divine Spirit,” Helene said. “Guide us to understanding. There must be something we can do.”
Again, Helene’s chin lifted. Her face contorted, almost as if she was in pain, and then the spirit’s voice came.
“The curse can only be broken through Samael himself.”
Paxton let out a humorless laugh. “So we have to contact Samael?”
“What?” I gaped at Helene, but I wasn’t sure whom I was addressing. “How are we supposed to do that?”
Helene’s chin lowered slightly. “I cannot help you further.”
She moaned and released our hands. The table dropped back to the floor, landing with a thud despite the plush carpet. Covering her eyes, she bent her head down.
I swallowed hard, not knowing what was going to happen next.
Erina jumped up and ran for the light switch. When the room brightened, Helene lifted her head.
She blinked, her eyes appearing normal again as she patted her hair. As if we’d just experienced nothing more than an ordinary Skype call, she took out her compact mirror and checked her reflection. “Well, that was interesting.”
Mara leaned closer to me. “And totally bizarre.”
“Not to mention a total waste of time.” Diana pushed herself off the floor and dusted off her skirt.
“Why would you say that?” Lilura raised a brow at her.
“You heard her.” Diana pointed a baby blue fingernail at Helene. “There’s nothing you can do. You might as well pack up your things and head home.”
“Nonsense.” Lilura waved an impatient hand at her. “She gave us the answer we needed. We just have to figure out how to do what needs to be done.”
Mrs. Poulter checked the bun at the back of her head. “Lilura, one does not simply summon Samael.”
“Why not?” I asked.
Mrs. Poulter clasped her hands in front of her. “For one, only a witch can contact him.”
Lilura tapped her chin. “Let me think, now. Where could we find ourselves a witch?”
Mrs. Poulter rolled her eyes.
Diana planted her hands on her hips. “Then there’s the little problem of one of the mightiest Reaper Lords sucking the life out of you if he doesn’t feel like listening to what you’ve got to say.”
I wrapped my arms around myself. That wasn’t the best scenario. We did have weapons to fight a Reaper, but were they enough to take on a Reaper Lord?
Paxton crossed his arms over his chest. “And if he doesn’t wipe you out then and there, there’s one last issue. Reapers don’t usually grant favors for nothing.”
I blinked at him. “What do you mean?”
“You want something from him, he’s going to want something in return.”
“Like what?”
Helene snapped her compact mirror closed. “Like a sacrifice.”
***
Erina came with Mara and me as we climbed the stairs. The downstairs hall echoed with Mr. Poulter’s shouts. He wasn’t too happy that we were in his house in the first place; hearing we would be extending our stay until we figured out how to contact a Reaper Lord didn’t make him any cheerier.
“Do you know much about the whole Reaper business?” I asked Erina when we reached the top of the stairs.
“I’ve read some things. Diana filled me in on some of it, too. There are a lot of conflicting theories though. Why?”
I wrung my hands. “Do you think it’s possible that the Reaper who called me to the garden last night, the Reaper who attacked us in the dining room… could that have been Samael?”
Though she appeared to be considering the idea, she shook her head. “No. Samael wouldn’t show himself in the same way as the other Reapers. Reaper Lords have a much bigger presence. Their cloaks are ashen white, their eyes glow of red fire, and they have enormous wings constructed of bones.”
I shuddered. On one hand, I was glad a Reaper Lord wasn’t stalking me. But on the other hand, not only would I have to deal with the Reaper from tonight, but also—if we did manage to contact Samael—a greater, scarier, more ferocious version.
When we reached the top of the stairs, Erina wisped back a strand of her hair. “I do have a theory of my own, if you want to hear it.”
Mara and I exchanged a look.
I shrugged. “Couldn’t hurt.”
“From what you’ve told me, the Reaper seems to have two ways to operate. One way is to make you do things—like hurt yourself—where you are aware of what he wants as well as conscious of what you’re doing.”
Mara rubbed her hands down her face. “It’s more complicated than that. He compels you to do those things. You’re conscious, but you can’t stop it. It’s like, you have to do his bidding. His hunger drives you. You can’t stop it, much like you can’t stop yourself from shivering when you’re cold.”
Erina’s brow creased. “That’s awful.”
Mara nodded and glanced at me.
“And the other way,” Erina said, “is when he takes you under his control. In this way, you’re under his spell, and you’re not usually aware of your actions.”
“Right.” I lifted a shoulder. “Unless you’ve taken a potion that keeps your brain awake.”
Erina ran her fingers through her hair, her eyes squinted as she worked out her theory. “And when he’s got you under his spell, he sort of protects you, as if he’s got you under a shield.”
Mara crossed her arms over her stomach. “Right. So that you can carry out his task without being interrupted. Or stopped.”
Erina lifted a finger. “Or is it for another reason?”
I narrowed my eyes. “What other reason?”
“What if the reason he shields you is because he’s protecting himself?”
My mind spun. “I don’t understand.”
“From what I’ve read, when a Reaper possesses someone, he tethers himself to their soul. It’s almost as if a part of him physically enters their body to control them.”
I remembered the night I climbed Kelly’s roof. How I felt like a puppet succumbing to the Reaper’s will. “Yeah. It feels like that, anyway.”
Erina placed her hands together, her forefingers pointing at me. “My theory is that he’s tethered to you in more ways than one. I think he protects whomever he’s possessing, not only so that he can make sure you carry out his task, but also because he needs to protect himself from harm.”
“Protect himself?” I shook my head.
“What if something happens to the person he possesses? What if it would affect the Reaper as well? That’s why he goes to great lengths to protect the person he’s controlling. Normally, nothing can harm the person, so the Reaper is safe. But what would happen if that person could be harmed?”
“They couldn’t.” I frowned. “I hit Mara with a car when she was under the Reaper’s spell. She was totally unscathed.”
“Because a car isn’t magic. The Reaper can shield whomever he’s controlling from ordinary, un-magical circumstances. But what about something magical?”
I rubbed my arms. “I don’t know. It makes sense, but that would mean the person being possessed would also be harmed.” Or even killed.
Naomi and Paxton ran up the stairs.
“Look out,” Paxton whispered, gesturing over his shoulder. “Incoming.”
“We can talk more about it tomorrow.” Erina’s small smile didn’t quite match the look in her eyes.
We all parted ways before Mr. and Mrs. Poulter reached the floor. I pressed my back against my door and waited until the sound of their voices faded down the hall. I knew Mr. Poulter’s disapproval of our presence in his house should have been the least of my worries, but it still made my stomach churn.
Deeper within me, fear bubbled. A fear that ran in a steady stream through my body, weighing me down and making me feel helpless. The salt line was destroyed. The Reaper just tried to attack us, leaving
all the windows in the dining room shattered. What if he were to come back tonight? Were there enough charms and protection spells to keep us safe, and were they any good any more?
I went over to the window, both to check if it was locked and to peek into the gardens. The fog was low to the ground, and a full moon lit the starry sky. If I were someone else in another situation, I would have thought it was a beautiful view. But it only made me leery of things to come.
A quick knock at the door made me turn. Gavin slipped into my room and closed the door behind him.
“You okay?” He closed the distance between us and took my hands in his.
“Yeah, just a little spooked.”
“Paxton told us about the séance. Weird stuff, huh?”
“Totally.”
“Mr. Poulter sent Diana out with the servants. They’re laying out a new border of rock salt, and she’s casting some double-whopper protection spell on the place.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Think it will help?”
“I have no clue. You want me to stay here tonight?”
The corner of my mouth crept up. “Mr. Poulter hates us enough; you want to give him more reason?”
“I don’t care what he thinks.” He lifted my chin and gently pressed his mouth to mine. The heat from his lips melted my worries away. I took fistfuls of his shirt and pulled him closer, feeling the need to get lost in his embrace.
Another knock at the door made our lips part. I groaned at the interruption, but took a step back from Gavin.
Chase poked his head into the room, his expression unreadable. “I, uh, brought you your arrows back.”
“Oh.” I stuck my hands in my pockets as Chase came into the room. “I didn’t realize you had them.”
“Paxton and I were working on the weapons this afternoon.” He pulled my quiver out from beneath the bed and filled it with the arrows. “He has a pretty cool setup. He’s even got a welding machine. It’s amazing. We attached miniature syringes to your arrowheads—which are already tipped with scythe metal. There’s one syringe on each head, each containing five milligrams of the tincture I created. They’re sensor-triggered, so they pretty much inject on contact, as long as the target is hit directly and the arrow goes in at least a half an inch.”
I blinked. “Sounds complicated.”
Chase slipped the quiver back under the bed. “It’s not. Just hit the target. And I don’t mean your boyfriend.”
Gavin ran a hand over his bandage, jaw clenched.
“We’re going to go work on the daggers now. That is, if Pax can tear himself away from your best friend.” Chase rolled his eyes.
I dipped my head to hide my smile. As hopeless and dire as our situation was, I was glad Naomi was able to find a little respite through Paxton.
“You should come check it out, Gavin.” Chase gestured with his chin for Gavin to accompany him. “It’s pretty cool. Besides, Zadie probably needs to get some rest.”
Gavin gave me a sideways glance.
I smiled at him and nudged him with my elbow. “Go ahead.”
He leaned in and pecked my temple. “I’ll check on you later.”
“Don’t forget to take your potion,” Chase said as they left the room.
My mind reeled with the events of the day as I changed for bed. Though my body was exhausted, my brain wouldn’t let go of the fact that only hours beforehand I’d been pummeled with rock salt flying in the windows. And the eerie voice of Diana Anglia’s spirit played over and over in my head. I took a deep breath and tried to loosen the tight muscles in my body.
Come on, Zadie. You need some sleep.
I pinched off the potion into a glass of water. It wouldn’t stop me from sleepwalking, but I didn’t want to let the Reaper have any advantages over me if I could help it.
I slipped under my covers and switched off my bedside lamp, telling myself that even if I couldn’t sleep, I needed some down time. Maybe if I’d let myself relax enough, I could fall asleep.
As I felt myself letting go and slipping toward unconsciousness, a scratching noise stirred me. I sat up in bed, my eyes adjusting to the lack of light. A spark to my left made me jump. The spark ignited into a blast of fire, and I let out a shout as I realized the protection pouch on the nightstand had burst into flame. I backed away from the fire, but it went out as quickly as it came, the smoldering remains disappearing into the darkness.
Though the windows were closed, a cold wind whipped through the room. My eyes moved over to the corner, where a shadow moved.
I instantly reached under my pillow for my switchblade. The shadow morphed, the hooded cloak billowing on the wall. Helene’s words ran through my head. Talk to him. Ask him what he wants.
I swallowed back my fear, holding the switchblade out toward him. “What do you want from me?”
Part of me didn’t expect an answer. Then I heard his voice, like bubbling tar.
Feed me.
“No!”
I knew it was stupid to ask. My first move should have been to go for my crossbow.
I jumped from the bed and started to recite the spell Lilura taught me to buy myself time to retrieve my weapon. But I could only get three words out before I was lifted from the floor and thrown backward against the wall. My head slammed into a picture frame, and my vision blurred. Grabbing my head, I curled up into myself. The shadow moved toward me. My mind scrambled to find the words for the Devitalizing Spell.
My head spun, and I was seeing double, but I managed to remember the first line of the weakening spell. The Reaper growled, extending his arm out in my direction. I was dragged along the wall, upward, until my head banged against the ceiling.
I can weaken you too.
My legs kicked, but I had no control of my arms. I screamed in panic as the Reaper willed my hand with the switchblade to fling over to my opposite arm. The blade pierced my skin and cut downward. My scream bounced off the walls. Hot blood oozed over my flesh and dripped from my fingers onto my bare feet.
Yes, the Reaper said, his voice a guttural rumble. Delicious.
Again my hand rose, this time closer to my shoulder. As the knife penetrated my skin, I heard pounding on the door. The blade sliced down my arm, the searing pain like hot coals stabbing my flesh. Mara yelled my name from behind the door, but I began to lose consciousness. Everything went cold and dark.
Gavin’s voice joined Mara’s. The door burst open. The Reaper let out a shriek as the silhouettes ran through the doorway. I dropped to the floor, falling sideways, my head crashing into the nightstand. I felt Gavin’s heavy breathing on my face as he gathered me in his arms. Everything went black, the voices of Erina and Mara as they chanted the Devitalizing Spell fading from my ears until there was nothing.
Chapter Twenty-Three
I muttered a curse, trying to pin the bandage on my arm back in place. I flexed my fingers to be sure I hadn’t wrapped it too tight. The metal clasp wouldn’t stay in place though, and I was half tempted to throw it across the room. But if I did that, the bandage would eventually unwrap, and I might start bleeding again.
“Here, let me help you.” Erina walked into my room and sat with me on the bed.
“Thanks.”
“No problem. Unlike my cousin, I don’t consider it to be a weakness to ask for help. Sometimes, it takes bravery to do so.”
I smiled at her openness. Erina really was a nice girl. Maybe because she didn’t grow up with someone like Mr. Poulter feeding her head full of hateful ideas.
I clenched my teeth together as I lifted my arm, testing out the bandage.
“Too tight?” Erina squeezed her hands together.
“No, it’s good. Just really sore. Though not as much as last night. That healing ointment is amazing.”
“It takes time—and a second or third coating—before it really kicks in. You should be as good as new in a couple days.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Will there be scars?”
“Maybe. Depends on how deep the wound w
as. But we got to it pretty quickly, so I think the scarring will be minimal. How’s your head?”
“Which one? It feels like I’ve got five of them.”
She smirked. “I can get you some aspirin.”
“Just regular old aspirin? No ancestral witch potion Paxton concocted in his secret lab?”
She let out a lyrical laugh. “We save that for the really bad headaches. Besides, I’m not allowed to go searching in his secret stash, and he’s probably out with Naomi somewhere.”
I raised my brows. “Out?”
“Well, not out out. I saw them this morning taking a walk in the gardens.”
“Should I be worried? You did say he was a player.”
Erina shrugged. “Normally, I’d throw up the red flag. But something is different about the way he treats her. I know it’s crazy, but he might actually have genuine feelings for her.”
Mara appeared in the doorway. Her brows tilted in worry. “Zadie, Erina. Lilura wants us to meet downstairs. Mrs. Poulter is ready to show us the ritual room.”
I glanced at Erina as we stood from the bed. Lilura and Helene finally convinced Mrs. Poulter to try a summoning ritual, despite Mr. Poulter’s warning not to. Lilura promised that we would leave and never come back if it didn’t work, stating that it couldn’t be too hard to find another witch willing to help us. I figured she was bluffing, but thankfully Mrs. Poulter agreed.
Everyone—except Mr. Poulter—was gathered in the downstairs hall. Gavin and Chase both looked up at me as I descended the stairs. Along with Hunter, they carried our weapons. But I could tell by their faces that they were as unsure as I was. Was this going to work? And if it did, were we doomed to fail anyway?
Helene offered me a small smile. She stood close to Lilura’s side. Naomi stood behind Paxton, scraping at her fingernails.
I passed Diana, her scowl like that of a rabid dog. She was one person who’d be happy to see me fail, I was sure.
Mrs. Poulter wore an expression more serious than I’d seen so far. She clasped her hands in front of her as her eyes scrutinized us all.
“The chamber I am about to show you is very private, very sacred. No one outside of the immediate family has seen it. Not even Erina.”
My Tethered Soul: Volume 2 (Reaper's Rite) Page 21
